Practical Theology

The problem that we often have with our “theology” about God, life, and the church, isn’t that our beliefs from Holy Scripture are so impractical or unrelated to life, but that they are so practical that God’s greatness reminds us how small and needy we truly are. Instead of being grateful for his love and mercy, we become threatened that this God so above us might be trying to take something from us; that if we follow Him completely, we may end up losing something essential that we must have to be happy.

We do not merit our salvation; we cannot earn it, nor should we even try. However, God has made our redemption a gift, and a responsibility. To grow in Him means a lot of work, discomfort, and change. When we are motivated by unholy fear, guilt, and unbelief an “earned approach” appears. When we are motivated by love and gratitude, a trusting, joyous, and passionate sanctification occurs. However, our growth in holiness, while not meriting our position with God, IS still a part of our salvation as we turn from sin and self-rule to faithfulness and obedience to our Lord and His ways. This desire and these actions on our part take discipline, patience, and the acceptance of God’s mercy. This is our theology of sanctification, and it is God’s path to our final redemption.

In Genesis, the Lord reveals himself to Moses with the name “Yahweh”. Literally in Hebrew, it means “I AM”. God is not just the Lord of Creation – matter, time, and space – he is above it and removed from it. God is not “was” or “will be”. For Him there is no past, present, and future; there is only NOW. Not only does our wonderful God know the future He has for us, He actually lives in that future. We have nothing to fear.

When we consider the greatness and love of our God, let us remember that He is calling us into a salvation history for His Covenant people that is already completed, but not yet. This is a mystery and one we will never completely understand. May this encourage us that His greatness can be trusted and may this help us to embrace that our Lord calls us to be faithful. 


Father Tom